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Conan the Barbarian (Berkley)
is the novelization of the 2011 film of the same name, wirtten by Michael A. Stackpole and based on a screenplay by Thomas Dean Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer and Sean Hood. Plot Summary Similar to the movie, the novel is split into two parts...prior to and including the sack of Venarium (the first 100 pages) and then, as an adult, Conan's revenge on Khalar Zym (the last 200 pages). Part I Orders of magnitude better than the previous tale of Conan between age 11 and 15, Conan of Venarium, this novel hits all the best parts that appeared on-screen...and makes them better. The book opens with a boy pretending that a stick is a sword. We learn later about the opening scene from the movie where Conan was born on a battlefield and his mother passed away moments later. Stackpole shows us a Conan that, at only 11 years old, cannot wait to get his hands on a real sword. He also shows us a father, Corin, who realizes that the boy needs to learn to be a man before he learns to be a warrior. Corin channels the boy's determination and builds the boy's character and wits before he begins to teach Conan how to make a sword, and then how to use it. Corin aims for Conan to accomplish far more than the "great things" his clansmen already expect from a warrior "born on a battlefield." We see lessons in patience, humility and leadership. We see lessons on strategy and tactics. We see that knowing who and when to kill are more important than how. More importantly however, after Corin dies in the massacre of Conan's village, we see 20 pages of story that didn't make it into the movie. Instead of a narrated synopsis of the gap between the two parts of the story, we get to see Conan's grandfather, Connacht, not only complete Conan's training, but give the boy a reason to be something other than the one-dimensional vengeance-machine portrayed in both Conan the Barbarian movies. From pages 80-98, Stakpole ensures that Conan is a complete character...one that could easily grow up to become the barbarian that Robert E. Howard wrote about. ... Unfortunately there's this pesky, non-continuity storyline to tell. Part II After the death of Belit, Conan has thrown in with Artus of the Red Brotherhood and the pirate crew of the Hornet, to raid caravans travelling from Argos to Zingara. stub Characters *Conan *Corin - Conan's father, blacksmith *Connacht - Conan's grandfather. A.K.A. Connacht the Freebooter, Connacht the Far-Travelled *Fialla - Conan's mother *Ronan - Warrior of Corin's tribe *Ardel - eldest son of Ronan *Mahon - Warrior of Corin's tribe *Senan - Warrior in Corin's tribe *Eiran - youth who has begun his Warrior training *Eiran - elderly warrior of Corin's tribe. A.K.A. old Eiran *Deirdre - elderly matron of Corin's tribe *Khalar Zym - Main antagonist. A.K.A. Kalarzin (as 12 year old Conan mispronounces it) *Lucius - Aquilonian luitenant of Khalar Zym during the destruction of Conan's village *Marique - Khalar Zym's daughter *Remo - senior warrior in Khalar Zym's army *Akhoun - senior warrior in Khalar Zym's army *Aiden - Clan cheiftain of tribes located south of Conan's village *Kiernan - Cimmerian "Outlander" at the sack of Venarium, 10 years Conan's senior *Artus - Pirate captain if the Hornet, friend of Conan *Tamara - descendant of the royal house of Acheron Locations *northern Cimmeria, Conan's village *Brita's Vale - site of a historic battle of Cimmerians vs Aquilonians *northern Cimmeria, Connacht's steading *Fort Venarium *Zingaran coastline between Argos and Messantia *Messantia, Zingara Continuity Notes Printing History '' ''(novel) • Michael A. Stackpole • Berkely Boulevard, July 2011